It has emerged that anti-competitive activities within South Africa’s plastic piping industry could have been taking place since the 1960s.

According to the Southern African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers’ Association (SAPPMA), which was not involved in any of the wrongdoing, the SA industry currently produces about 140 000t of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping annually. This is for, primarily, the country’s water distribution, sewage, mining, building, telecommunications and agricultural sectors with farmers using the pipe for on-farm water distribution.

Farmers’ body Agri SA has objected to a controversial proposal calling for the imposition of a right of first refusal on all agricultural land sales by the state.

This emerged at a stakeholders meeting on the land reform green paper in Boksburg on Friday, with Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti saying the proposal had the potential to create havoc on the market as it would put the brakes on speedy land sales.

The right of first refusal was among policy options tabled in a document presented by a committee that looked at how the state could acquire sufficient agricultural land to be distributed to black South Africans to achieve its 30% target by 2014.

The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) re-elected Mr Schalk Pienaar as Chairperson of the association. Dr Tobias Doyer, Head of Santam Broker Services North and National Brokers was elected as Deputy Chairperson of Agbiz.

The other members of the Agbiz Executive Committee are Mr Willie du Plessis, Head of Standard Bank Agriculture and Mr Danie Marais, Managing Director of NWK Limited. Dr John Purchase, Chief Executive Officer of Agbiz, serves on the Executive Committee as ex officio member.

The Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz) and International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) hosted the Agbiz/IFAMA Agribusiness Student Case Competition during the Agbiz Congress on 5 and 6 June 2012.